unity-tooling

name	unity-tooling
description	Use when about to write or install a custom Editor script, add a [MenuItem], build a custom Editor window, or create a one-off Editor helper — to check whether a ready-to-paste template already exists in tooling/<domain>/ before reaching for Unity_CreateScript.

Tooling Index

Install-once Editor script templates live under ../../tooling/<domain>/. Check here before writing a new Editor script from scratch.

When to Use

Reach for tooling/ when the task needs a persistent Editor-side helper rather than a one-shot Unity_RunCommand body. Signals:

• About to paste a [MenuItem("Tools/...")] script via Unity_CreateScript.
• Need a tool the user re-runs from the Editor menu later (screenshots, exporters, custom build steps, batch operations).
• A recipe in recipes/<domain>/ carries a "Prerequisite: install Editor script" note pointing at tooling/<domain>/.

Do NOT use for one-shot operations — those belong in recipes/<domain>/ and run through Unity_RunCommand.

Routing

1. Open ../../tooling/<domain>/README.md for the domain that matches the task (e.g. tooling/ui/).
2. If a matching tool exists, install via Unity_CreateScript at the path the tool file specifies.
3. Wait for Unity to recompile — poll EditorApplication.isCompiling (see UI Authoring Loop Phase 1 in ../ui/SKILL.md).
4. Call the installed menu items via EditorApplication.ExecuteMenuItem.

If no tool covers the case, write one — but check first.

Available domains

Domain	Folder	Tools
ui	../../tooling/ui/	ui_screenshot_tool

Common Mistakes

• Pasting a tooling/ C# block into Unity_RunCommand. These are install-once Editor scripts, not IRunCommand bodies — they will not compile in the RunCommand context. Always install via Unity_CreateScript at the path the tool file specifies.
• Calling EditorApplication.ExecuteMenuItem immediately after install. Unity needs to recompile the new script before the menu items register. Poll isCompiling first.
• Treating tooling/ files as compile/run-gated like recipes/. They have no validation gate — install into a scratch project once before trusting at scale.